


I'll Be There For You, Wherever You Go

by InvisibleBlond



Category: Promare (2019)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-11
Updated: 2020-07-11
Packaged: 2021-03-05 01:35:57
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 19,146
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25196308
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/InvisibleBlond/pseuds/InvisibleBlond
Summary: The month after the Second World Blaze has left Lio apprehensive about the upcoming future. Two major issues preoccupied his thoughts. The first being how the Burnish were going to re-join society. The second, being Kray Foresight’s trial. Galo and Lio are both questioning how to deal with the inevitable consequences that could arise from their pasts.(First fanfic I've ever posted/made in my life. Mila is the only character I own. ON is a random tag I came up with to shorten original name.)
Relationships: Gueira/Meis (Promare), Lio Fotia/Galo Thymos
Comments: 2
Kudos: 13





	1. Ashes

“I swear. Galo you really are an idiot.” Lio said with a small fond smile on his face. 

“Yeah. I’m the universe's number one, firefighting idiot.” He said with a huge smile on his face before holding out his fist. Lio made a fist, bringing it up to Galo’s before pressing it against his. They stood there for a minute, silently looking over the city. They had a lot of work to do if they were going to clean everything up. The failed migration led to surrounding buildings being destroyed, along with smoke left over from Lio’s dragon rampage hours before. Lio’s stomach twisted, seeing the leftover smoke in the distance, how many people did he kill? He snapped out of his thought when he felt Galo’s hand on his shoulder. He blinked, looking up at the other man. 

“Well we better get started. We’ll get your friends to help also.” Galo still that huge stupid grin on his face as he spoke. Lio’s eyes widened slightly. He hadn’t realized until now there weren’t any cries from the Burnish trapped in the ship. He went paler than usual, fear and worry flashed in his eyes before he turned on his heel and ran. Galo blinked, watching as Lio ran away from him. Quickly realizing where the other was heading, he staggered after him. 

“Lio! Wait!” He called but the other ignored him. Lio quickly passed by Kray, not saying a single word. Kray raised an eyebrow, turning to watch the two. Varys, Vulcan, and the other Freeze Force members looked behind them to see Lio running full speed. 

“W-wait Lio.” Aina said, stepping in front of Heris to block him but Lio passed her, jumping over Lucia and Vinny. Lio’s eyes landed on Vulcan while he was in the air, feeling time slow down as their eyes met. He still had the same cold look that burned into Lio’s mind since the first day he encountered the leader of Freeze Force. 

Is that really him? I could drop-kick him! Time sped up again as the bottom of his boot hit the metal of the Parnassus and past them. 

“Guys stop him!” Galo shouted at his teammates, he had just made it to where Aina was, but it was too late. Lio had already jumped in. All they saw was that head of blond hair disappear into the dark depths. Galo was about to jump in when Aina grabbed his arm, pulling him back. 

“Galo wait!”

“Aina! Let go!” Galo’s voice full of concern and worry, his heart beating fast. “We have to-“ 

“Don’t be an idiot! I’m stopping you so we can help you!” Aina interrupted. “We’ll use my bike, it has some supplies on it for those who need it the most. Heris, can you fly my ship!?” She called to her sister, looking over her shoulder as she and Galo hopped onto her bike. 

“I-I’ll try.” Heris replied. Aina nodded as the bike started up, speeding into the opening after Lio. 

“Remi, Varys get your gear!” Ignis ordered. Remi and Varys nodded, heading towards the Rescue Mobile with Lucia following behind. “Prepare for rescue.”

▷▷▷

Lio grabbed onto different metal pipes that were sticking out on his way down. The Promare may be gone but his skills hadn’t left with them. He stood over the hole that led into the control room, looking down. He didn’t see anything he could grab that would slow his fall without the chance of him injuring himself. Lio looked for another way in, finding a door at the end of the room. Kray had been dumb enough or smart enough to have signs on the walls just as you entered different hallways. The way he needed to go was restricted in case any of the ‘selected individuals’ wandered off too far. He quickly ran towards the control room, losing his footing from time to time over the rubble.

In the control center, there was broken glass and the smell of ashes around him as he ran farther in. Eyes quickly scanning the area. Every pod he passed was empty. 

“Meis! Gueira! Mila! Aden! Lyosha! Iris! Serena! Everyone!” Lio called as loud as he could, being met with silence. Panic, rage, and fear kept him searching. Adrenaline helped him move through the rubble. Every time he tripped, he got back up, ignoring all cuts and scrapes. They weren’t important. What was important was finding everyone else and making sure they were safe. 

Empty, empty, empty. 

Each row he saw was empty with small piles of glass in front of them. 

“Meis! Gueira!” He called again, being met with silence again. He kept searching for them. His heart raced as he frantically searched the area. It was a lot larger than he ever expected it to be. There must have been thousands if not billions of Burnish who were caught and placed in pods. Lio found himself near the control center, remembering what pods Meis and Gueira were in, climbing up to the top to get a better view. He saw two small piles of ash, his heart skipping a beat and fearing for the worst. He quickly shoved that thought away.

No Meis and Gueira are stronger than that. They’re alive. They’re alive. 

He kept telling himself as he turned and ran towards the other end of the control center, his heart dropped, stopping in his tracks. Not believing what he saw, he walked closer. Tripping over some of the rubble from Galo breaking him out. He lay on the ground for a second before pushing himself up. His eyes focused on the scene in front of him. It hadn’t been his imagination. Piles of ashes from those who didn’t make it were sitting there. The smell of ashes that had been in the air had been coming from here. He felt warm streaks of water running down his cheeks.

They’re dead.

That single thought pushed him over the edge. He sat there on his knees and cried. The stress that his body had gone through slowly catching up to him, the adrenaline leaving. His entire body hurt, pain shooting from his arms, back and chest. Tears streamed down his face, blurring his vision. He kept wiping them away but they continued to come, harder and harder each time he had a clear view of the ashes below. His head dropped as his body hunched over, wrapping his arms around himself. 

All of them are dead because of me. 

Lio continued to cry, violently wiping the tears away and getting frustrated the more they came. He clenched his fist, slamming his knuckles down onto the concrete under him. “Damn it.” he choked out, sobs catching in his throat as he tried to breathe. 

Had satisfying the Promare’s natural need to burn and sending them back to their dimension cause more damage than good? He didn’t stop to think if people had the chance to heal before asking them to lend him their power to save Earth by setting it on fire. All of them had given him the Promare without a second thought. Would it have been better if he had died since the migration still didn’t happen because Galo had saved him? Why did Galo save him? Had he been the only survivor? 

Lio’s breath caught in his throat, fear rising inside him as he slowly looked up at the piles of ashes, some gently floating away in the wind that seemed to come from nowhere. He screamed but nothing came out. Tears flowing from his eyes onto his knees. 

Please. For the love of every holy deity in existence, please don’t let him be the only survivor. He didn’t want to be alone again. 

▷▷▷

While the commotion of Galo de Lion had been going on outside, Gueira and Meis had noticed that the glass in front of the pods had broken after a wave of teal fire had filled up the ship. It felt safe and warm. They thought they heard a voice talking to them, familiar and foreign.  
  


“Everyone is free now. Hurry and get to safety.” The restraints holding them had come undone, falling to their feet in the area just wide enough for them to stand. Meis looked over at Gueira, the other looking around the area. 

“You alright?” 

“Been better. Let’s help everyone else.” Meis nodded

“Everyone who is able to move! Help everyone else!” He ordered. “Mad Burnish, we’ll meet back up with the boss once everyone is out.”

“Right!” The Mad Burnish members replied. All jumping from their pods and helping others out. Along with some people who weren’t part of the ‘terrorist group’ joining them. The job had been surprisingly easy with the glass and restraints not getting in the way. The elderly, men, women, and children were all helped from the pods. Parents were reunited with their children. Most crying with relief that they all made it out without being seriously injured. Children who had lost their friends and family crying next to the ashes left behind.

They had just about gotten all of the Burnish out of the pods, only a few of the higher ones took more time due to their lack of power. Meis was in the middle of telling a handful of Mad Burnish to find a clear way out when they heard a member yelling for them. 

“Oi, Meis! Gueira!” They quickly rushed over. 

“What’s up?” Gueira asked, both coming up to a group of five other Mad Burnish members, with a small group of children. They felt relieved seeing that their injuries were older ones from the experiments performed on them by scientists, with a few cuts and scratches from the glass being broken. 

“Everyone over here okay?” Meis asked them. They nodded. A few crying softly. A girl, who was the oldest out of the group tried to keep herself from crying. 

“We’re okay. Just a few cuts and bruises.” her small body trembling as tears fell from her eyes. Meis knelt down in front of her, gently wiped the tears away giving her one of his rare kind smiles. 

“You were all very strong. It’s over now.” 

“Almost everyone is out. Go ahead of us and join them. We'll be there as soon as everyone is helped out.” Gueira informed them. They nodded and took the children out, doing their best to keep their spirits high. They watched them walk out of view before turning towards the control center and walked to the other side. Their eyes became wide with shock and rage. There were at least a thousand piles of ashes. Everyone on this side didn’t make it. Gueira clenched his fists. “He’ll pay.” He growled through clenched teeth. 

“He will.” 

They saw two figures kneeling among the ashes. Meis and Gueira ran over to them. Two members of Mad Burnish were holding a child in each arm. As they got closer they saw a man, woman and four children. The man wore a black shirt with black pants, his hair mainly black with red fringe. The woman wore a black tank top with shorts, long black hair that framed her face and light blue eyes. Four children who spent most of their time around them and Lio. Aden, Lyosha, Iris, Serena. Rage filling up inside them, all four had major injuries on top of the ones they already had. 

“Meis. Gueira. Is there a way out?” The woman asked.

“Yeah just around the core and straight ahead.” They nodded and stood up, holding the children close. 

“Where’s Mila?” Gueira asked them. The smaller one of the group, a boy with brown hair and a bandage wrapped around his forehead slowly opened his eyes. Tears collected in the corners of his eyes as he pointed towards one of the pods. They turned to where he was pointing. A pod about fifteen feet in the air, had a person still inside of it. A small arm hanging out. 

“Oh shit. Fuck. How’d we miss that?” 

“It’s alright we’ll get her. Get them out of here and get them immediate medical attention.” Meis said. The two nodded and left, leaving the former leaders to get Mila out safely. 

“Mila! Mila!” Gueira shouted up to her. They heard a soft noise coming from the pod. Mila’s arm slowly going back into the pod. They watched as she tried to push herself up, her arms trembling before her body fell out of the pod. Gueira rushed forward, jumping up to catch her and turning his back to the pod. His back crashed into a pod behind him, clenching his teeth and holding his breath as glass below stabbed into his skin. 

“Gueira! Mila!” Meis rushed over to them. Gueira looked up with a wide smirk on his face, Mila cradled in his arms. Her platinum blond hair covering the side of her face. 

“Got ‘er.” He said, brushing the strands out of her face. Meis helped him up, both rushing to the exit and quickly meeting the others outside. 

Gueira carefully gave Mila to another woman who had been part of Mad Burnish since the beginning. The woman immediately dropped to her knees with Mila, placing her on the ground gently and ripped off the bottom of her own torn shirt, wrapping it around the child’s arms. “We’ll go get the boss.” Meis and Gueira headed to the top of the ship, hearing a commanding voice. 

“Remi, Varys get your gear!” They saw the two in question nodding and heading towards the Burning Rescue truck with a girl following behind. “Prepare for rescue.” 

“Wait.” Gueira said, stepping in their way. They raised their eyebrow at the two. The man with sunglasses looking at them. 

“Oh, it’s you two. Mad Burnish generals or whatever.” The girl said. 

“Meis and Gueira. We don’t have time for introduction. We got everyone out. A lot of us need medical attention. Will you help us?” Gueira asked them. “You don’t have to help Mad Burnish or whatever but-“

“We’ll help,” the man with sunglasses interrupted. “Slight change of plans, Remi, Varys still get your gear, we can use it to do the heavy lifting. Lucia, get all the medical equipment we have ready. A lot of people were in there. We'll have our hands full for a while.” 

“What about you chief?” The guy with glasses asked, his head sticking out of the truck. 

“I have to make sure these guys don’t get away.” Ignis said, referring to Vulcan and Freeze Force. Gueira’s eyes scanned the area, his eyes falling on Kray. Rage burst inside him, his body lunged forward as he rushed over to the man. 

“Oi you bastard! Where’s the boss!?” Gueira demanded as Meis held him back. 

“He went back in.” Kray answered simply, his body not turning from where he sat on the rubble. Gueira was still fuming as Ignis confirmed his statement. 

“Galo and Aina went after him. We were going to follow with but since everyone else is out we’ll go help the wounded.” 

“Thanks.” Meis said, dragging Gueira with him as he walked back to the survivors. The group turned their attention towards them. “The Burning Rescue team is going to help us take care of the wounded and find a temporary place to set up medical areas. Those of you who have a home to go back to and want to go back may do so. No one is obligated to stay.” Everyone stayed silent for a moment, looking at each other. 

“What about Lio?” One of the survivors asked. 

“Yeah, where is he?” Another asked 

“The least we can do is thank him, you guys and that blue haired guy for saving us.” Another said. The group escalating into agreed chatter. Meis and Gueira looked at each other, smiling slightly before turning back to the group. 

“He went back in to get us. We’re gonna to go get him.” Gueira said. The crowd went silent in shock. 

From above the Parnassus, Remi, Varys, and Lucia watched them.

“Makes you wonder who the real terrorists are, doesn’t it.” Lucia asked, her hands behind her head. “Well, let’s get goin.” Remi and Varys nodded. 

▷▷▷

Aina and Galo got to the control room a minute after Lio. They heard him calling for his generals, five other people they didn’t know but assumed he was close to and everyone. They quickly got off the bike. Aina grabbing the supplies. They followed as quickly as they could but always seemed to be a mile behind the other. Galo’s heart was thundering, concern continuing to fill him. They saw more empty pods than they were expecting. Not a single person seemed to be in the room other than them, but it was still huge and better to check that no one was left behind. They saw Lio tripping from time to time, Galo secretly hoping it gave them a chance to catch up but he had always jumped right back up and continued his search. From their distance, Lio looked like a lost child trying to find his family in an empty shopping center. He heard Aina’s shaky voice beside him. 

“This is horrible.”

“I know.” Was all Galo could say in response. They had both seen more than they wanted to. “Meis and Guiera are strong. The Burnish are strong. They probably got everyone out of here while we were up above.” He added quickly, giving Aina a reassuring smile. Aina gave a small smile back, turning towards Lio’s direction. She ran ahead of him as Lio started climbing the rubble up to the control center. Galo quickly caught up, running next to her as they stopped in front of the area. Galo immediately started climbing, checking behind him every now and then to see if Aina needed help. They are a rescue team. They needed to work as a team, Galo reminded himself. He helped Aina up the rest of the way. Aina saying a soft thank you as they heard sobbing. They looked towards where the sound was coming from, Lio was on his knees and crying. They walked towards him, stopping dead in their tracks. 

Never, in their time of fighting fires, had they seen anything like this. Aina gasped and covered her mouth, tears welling in her eyes. This was worse than anything they could have imagined. Galo clenched his fists, walking over to Lio.

“Galo.” Aina’s voice wavered as she grabbed the other's arm to stop him. Lio heard stomping behind him, quickly looking over to see Aina and Galo. His eyes full of tears as some continued to run down his face. His body was trembling from his sobs that he quickly tried to stop. The poor guy was a complete mess. Galo shoved her off. “Galo! Please.” She watched helplessly as Galo knelt in front of Lio, grabbing him by the shoulders and slammed the other into a hug. Lio’s eyes widened in shock, the tears stopping just enough for him to see Aina clearly. Her eyes full of sadness, a few tears running down her cheeks. His eyes shifted to his peripheral, only seeing the black strap that was across Galo’s back and a few inches of skin on each side. Galo had one hand behind Lio’s head, holding it firmly. His other arm wrapped around his lower back. He was shaking, holding the other as close as he could. Aina walked over to them, gently placing a Burning Rescue jacket around Lio’s shoulders before wrapping her own arms around the two of them, resting her head against Lio’s back. She knew she couldn’t do much to comfort him but he needed to know they were there to help and not the enemy.

Lio’s mind was racing, his emotions confusing. They were hugging him? They were both comforting him even after all he’s done. He had almost killed Galo when they were fighting on top of Foresight Pharmaceuticals. Tied him up when he followed them to the cave they were hiding in. They were enemies right? Even if they worked together to stop the Migration it didn’t change anything, right? They heard faint voices and hurried footsteps walking into the room. They stopped their embrace, slowly moving away from each other as they listened closer. 

“Ss!” Lio wiped his tears away as the voice got closer and louder.

“Oss!” They stood up, walking over to the edge of the control center, seeing two figures running at full speed. Red hair and blue hair becoming clearly visible. 

“Boss!” 

It was Gueira and Meis. Lio’s eyes widened, tears welling in his eyes and immediately staggered towards the edge before jumping off. Aina and Galo followed behind him. 

“Gueira! Meis!” Lio’s body crashed into theirs as they caught him, wrapping his arms around the two, both wrapping their arms around him in return. All three of them were crying with relief. Lio tightened his grip around them. “You fucking idiots! I told you to leave me behind!”

“Like hell we were going to do that!” Gueira cried, holding the other in his arms and refusing to let go. 

“It is unacceptable to risk your safety for mine!” 

“No one gets left behind, remember! Those were your words.” Meis said, tears were running down his face but he seemed to have more control over his emotions than Gueira who was practically bawling. “You’re still a kid, what kind of people would we be if we let you die!?” Lio didn’t respond to this, instead he loosened his grip and looked both of them in the eyes. 

“Remember we’ll avenge you and go after their children.” Gueira said with a stupid smirk on his face. 

“Right.” Meis said, both he and Gueira shaking on it like they did before. Lio’s hands went straight to his hips.

“You absolutely will **not** go after their children.” Lio ordered. Meis and Gueira both smiled at him in a way that meant they’d absolutely risk their safety to protect him again. Lio let out a sigh, wrapping his arms around them again.

“You’re both alright?”

“Yeah boss.” 

“Good.” Aina and Galo looked at each other smiling. 

“Where’s everyone else?” Lio asked, his brows knitted with concern. 

“They’re fine. Apparently whatever you and Galo did caused the glass to break and the restraints to come undone. We somehow were free but” Meis trailed off. Lio nodded slowly. 

“A lot didn’t make it.” His voice barely above a whisper, his fist clenched tightly. 

“Most of the Mad Burnish members weren’t injured as badly so we told them to set up a temporary area while we went to get you. We ran into Burning Recuse assuming you were on top of this thing and they said they’d help out.” 

“Come on. Everyone is waiting for ya.” Gueira said, grabbing Lio’s arm and leading him towards where they came from. Lio allowed himself to be led out of the control room, with Aina and Galo following behind them. Lio walked slightly behind Meis and Gueira, letting them lead the way. Meis to his right with Gueira on the left.


	2. Chapter 2

The area for the temporary settlement Lucia had found was several blocks away from where the Parnassus stood. It looked hectic from just a few feet away. Varys and Remi were running around in their mech suits, carrying away piles of concrete and coming back with arms full of poles. Lio noticed they’d have to pass by the Burning Rescue truck, and a few police officers before they made it to the settlement as they got closer. His eyes scanned the area, no sign of Kray, Vulcan or Freeze Force. 

They let him get away?

His eyes narrowed, not liking the thought but he wouldn’t be surprised if it had been true. Lucia stood near the truck with Ignis. Aina felt her heart drop when she saw Heris standing near the police with handcuffs on. Galo placed a hand on her shoulder. Aina looked up at him, worry in her eyes. Galo gave her a reassuring smile. Aina gave a small one back, moving ahead of them and taking her bike to the truck. Lucia helped her put it inside. Both having a quick conversation before Aina moved to Heris, the two talking before the other cop opened the door for her. Heris willingly got into the backseat, giving her sister a smile before the cop placed a hand on her shoulder. Aina nodded and walked over to Galo. Galo stood near Ignis, listening to the conversation. 

“Alright. We‘ve finished getting all the volunteers signatures, here’s the list of people that will be joining you. With all their help it should take at least three months before we can get everything cleared.” One of the officers had said, handing Ignis a clipboard. Ignis nodded, taking the clipboard and flipped through the pages. 

“So how many people are volunteering?” Galo asked, looking at the paper. 

“A few hundred.” Ignis answered. Galo turned to look at Gueira, Meis and Lio who were walking towards the settlement.

“Hey!” He shouted, quickly catching up to them. The three turned and looked at the blue haired firefighter. “Are you going to help too? Lio already promised he'd help.” Gueira and Meis looked at each other before nodding. 

“Awesome. We’ll be able to get it done in no time.” 

Galo had followed them into the settlement after getting the okay from Ignis, if they needed his help they’d call him over the ear piece. He watched as Lio went to each member of Mad Burnish he saw running around, asking them how they were doing along with those who weren’t part of the ‘terrorist’ group. They were no longer a ‘threat’ with the Promare gone. All of them were just normal humans going about their lives. Taking care of everyone who needed help.

Galo stood slightly behind Lio with a small slightly awkward smile on his face at the beginning, slowly turning into a genuine smile with every person thanking him and Lio. He noticed how Lio had always told them he was alright when they asked him if he was alright in return, everyone with a home to return to offering him a place to stay. Lio always politely declined, saying he needed to stay here but he’d keep the offer in mind. 

They were now at the medical section of the settlement. Lio easily moved through the area but Galo felt too big for the space, nervously moving around the chaos until he bumped into Lio, who had stopped walking. His breathing had drastically changed, his hand at his throat as he struggled to breath, his body trembling. Galo’s mind quickly registered that Lio was having a panic attack. Before he could say anything, Lio was moving again. One second the smaller male was having a panic attack, the next he was moving through the area as he had been before. Galo rubbed his eyes, blinking a few times.

Maybe I imagined it. Yeah that’s gotta be it. Lio and panic attacks? Ridiculous.

He quickly and carefully caught up to the other in a few wide steps. They had a few more tents to go to. This one, one a few tents down and the one where the severely injured individuals were being treated. Lio grabbed the cloth that was used as a covering for the tent, pulling it to the side carefully as he announced his presence.

“Coming in.” He said, his eyes shifting up to see a stout shorter man, with grey hair and balding at the top. He has large eyebrows and a bushy mustache. His shirt is solid white with black pants, and green eyes. The Burnish lying in front of him, a thin man of average height with brown skin and brown hair with green eyes, dressed in a white shirt with a pizza with a slice slightly separated. 

“Pops. Pizza guy.” Galo said from behind Lio. 

“Ohh hey Galo.” Pops replied, moving to stand up. 

“No please, stay seated. We’ll just be a moment.” Galo said, putting his hands on the man’s shoulder. Lio’s eyes were focused on the man, his mouth slightly open not sure what to say. He had been the first non-burnish other than Galo, Remi and Varys he had seen around the settlement. 

“Who are you?” Lio managed to ask after the initial shock faded. It didn’t come out as kindly as he thought it would. Opening his mouth to apologize when the man spoke. 

“I’m Philomenos but you can call me pops. I own a pizzeria and Priam is one of the employees.”

“Sorry. That was rude of me.” Lio said. Galo had also noticed through his mini adventure of the settlement that Lio was surprisingly well mannered . Priam had slowly sat up, crossing his legs and looking at the two of them. 

“Don’t worry about it. I’m sure you’re not used to kind people. You have all been through a lot” Pops said understandingly. “Please have a seat.” Lio nodded, walking farther into the tent, sitting down on his knees where he stopped. 

“Pops and Priam.” 

“Wow you’re the first person who’s said his name right. No wonder you are Mad Burnish’s boss.” Pops had laughed. 

“I’m Lio. Lio Fotia.” 

“Thank you for helping him.”

“Thank you for looking after him.” Pops nodded, turning his attention to Galo. 

“Thank you for sticking up for us Galo. That meant a lot.” 

“Don’t mention it! Besides they can’t walk around like they own the place.” Galo beamed. Priam smiled slightly, nodding his head before turning to Lio, noticing the look on his face. The other was pale, his breathing short but masked behind what seemed like normal breathing. When Lio noticed everyone was looking at him he spoke up. 

“I know you need rest-“

“I’m alright. How are you doing?” Priam asked 

“I’m alright.” A clear lie to Priam but Pops seemed to not notice. Takes a Burnish to know a Burnish. “We’re going to every person and telling them what’s happening now. There’s no more Burnish. That being said, not everything is going to go back to how things were before. Those of us who have homes to go to can go back to them. I told Gueira and Meis to get supplies needed for those who aren’t able to while I find out who needs a place to stay.”

“If it’s still standing I should be fine. I live in the apartments near the pizzeria.” Lio’s eyes shifted, remembering the rampage he went on after the Freeze Force attacked their settlement. 

“If not let me know.” Lio said, standing up. “If everything’s good here. I’ll be leaving.” He turned away after Pops and Prima nodded. 

“Thanks again Galo. Lio.” Pops said. Lio gave a nod, walking towards the exit. 

“Lio.” Prima said. Lio stopped walking, turning to face him. He spoke in a language Galo and Pops didn’t understand. Lio’s face turned to shock, only noticeable if you looked close enough, replying to the other in the same language. Prima smiled, laying back down. Lio left the tent. Galo followed behind him, saying a goodbye. 

“Hopefully they can go back to the pizzeria. The Inferno Volcano Margherita Mega Max Pizza is the best.” Galo said, his eyes lighting up. 

“That’s a mouthful.” Lio mumbled, his voice wavering. Galo looked at the other with concern. His arms had bruises from falling. His shoulders slumped forward but hardly noticeable unless you focused on them. He forced himself to listen to Lio’s breathing. It sounded like he had been struggling to breathe.

“Lio-”

“I’m alright.” Lio interrupted as if knowing what Galo was going to ask. Galo frowned, he knew the other was lying but he wouldn’t stop until he knew every Burnish’s condition. He followed him into the next tent. The tent was full of Mad Burnish members along with other uninjured individuals including Meis and Gueira. On one side of the tent Mad Burnish were sorting food and water while the others sorted blankets and other supplies. Meis and Gueira giving a few orders here and there. He noticed a few children sitting together in the middle of the tent, playing quietly. Galo stayed near the entrance, watching the scene unfold. Everyone in the tent looked over when Meis and Gueira had. 

“Boss!” The group exclaimed in equal happiness and relief. A few of them were so happy they were crying. They immediately stopped what they were doing as he walked farther in. Lio couldn’t help but feel a small smile on his face as he saw they were all uninjured. 

“Guys, how are all of you doing?” 

“We’re fine!” 

“Yeah! It’ll take a lot more than that to bring us down!” Lio shook his head. 

“Idiots. All of you.” His tone wasn’t cold or mean, it was caring and relieved. 

“How are you boss? Any injuries?” A woman had asked, grabbing the other's face gently and looking it over, before moving to his arms and chest. She yelled over her shoulder for one of the other members to bring some bandages over. She had long black hair, purple eyes, a black shirt and shorts with a bandage wrapped around her arm and ankle. 

“I’m alright,” He said, trying to wiggle out of her grasp. She forced him down into a chair. Lio puffed out his cheek in a pout.

That’s adorable Galo thought shamelessly. 

“What about you?” He asked her, noticing the bandages. 

“Oh these? I got a few scrapes from running around and carrying things.” She laughed carelessly. 

“Always so clumsy.” Gueira mumbled. 

“Hey, you’re worse than me!” She yelled. Lio had a smile on his face, looking over at the children playing. Galo saw a smaller girl that stood out to him more than the others. She had saffron shoulder length hair, a few chunks pulled into a ponytail to keep from falling in her face. Her blue eyes locked on Lio. She wore a white shirt with black shorts underneath. Her arms and legs had bandages from her wrist up to her elbow and ankles up to her knees. Galo watched the pair interact. Lio waved to her and made a silly face. She waved back, giggling. “Turn your head a bit.” The woman said. Lio did as instructed as she looked closer. His eyes shifted to Meis and Gueira as they walked up to him. 

“We should be done in the next thirty minute.” Meis said. 

“Sounds good. We just have the last tent.” Lio said, his arm going back to his side. Galo noticed the uneasy look in his eyes. The last tent was full of severely injured Burnish. Lio looked over at the group sorting blankets and got up walking over to them. “Hey Noah, the tents closer to the entrance are probably going to need a few more.” He walked over to a table where they were putting water bottles and food into boxes, picking up about ten bottles “Nao, the tents in section C need more water.” Nao showed him the boxes that were going to section C, Lio putting the water bottles into them. “Have you guys started taking things to everyone?”

“We’re waiting until we have it all done boss, that way if areas need more items we can easily take them there.” Lio nodded, helping them sort the water and food. He was stalling. Why? Galo could only assume because they needed rest and no interruptions. He watched the little girl that had waved to Lio earlier, carefully walk over to him, her arms held out to her sides to keep her balance. Her legs trembled a few times, stopping to regain her balance. When she had got to Lio’s side, she grabbed one of the belts on his pants and pulled it gently. Lio looked down to see her standing there, shock written on his face. He looked from the middle of the tent, to her a few times. His mouth hanging open.

“Up.” She said. Lio gladly picked her up, a huge smile on his face.

“Aurora you walked!” Everyone looked over at them, shock turning into huge smiles. Happy cheers coming from them. The other children she was playing with clapped and jumped excitedly.

“Congratulations Aurora, you can walk now!” Aurora giggled happily, her arms around Lio’s neck while nuzzling his face. Lio laughed happily, holding her close. Galo felt a smile on his face, realizing Aurora had just taken her first steps. She did look like a toddler but the way the other children had gotten really excited about it told him that she had been around their age. He put her down, encouraging her to walk towards her friends. She did so. Everyone clapped and smiled. Galo noticed how Lio’s uneasiness had faded. His face radiated with joy. Galo felt a warm feeling inside his chest, assuming it was just the cheerful mood.

Galo started to feel antsy watching everyone doing something. Wanting to do something rather than just stand there he walked over to Lio. Lio had been at the boxed Burning Rescue had given them, sorting through it.

“Hey, can I help too?” he asked, even if it was just playing with the children he didn’t mind. Lio didn’t look up from what he was doing but nodded. “See if Jo needs anything. They might need more bandages or clothing in some of the other tents.” He took out a smaller box, opened it. He took out a weird looking gun that had looked like a small cannon and a smaller circular item, raising an eyebrow as he looked up at Galo. “What are these?” Galo’s face had recognition and recollecting on it.

“I didn’t know we still had those! There’s signal guns or flare guns depending on what wording you want to use. Each smaller one is a different colored smoke. The colored circle makes it easier for you to know which one is which.”

“Ignis gave them to us in case we had a problem while we were helping clean the city.” Meis said, walking over to them and grabbing another case of water. Lio hummed in understanding, putting them back into the box and lifting it up, moving his head to motion of Galo to follow him.

“Jo this is Galo. Galo this is Jo. She’s in charge of making sure supplies are taken to the right areas. Galo is part of Burning Rescue so let him know what items we need more of.”

“Aye aye sir!” Jo said with a mocking solute. Lio let out a huff of air, walking away from them. Galo frowned slightly, watching the other walk away. “Don’t take offence to that. He was laughing.”

“That was a laugh?” Galo asked.

“Yep. We both hate people of power so we do that to mock them. He’s done it to Meis and Gueira too.” Galo nodded slowly, helping Jo with anything she needed, taking a mental note of how many more bandages they would need. He glanced over at Lio. Lio had looked up, his eyes focused on the children playing. Aurora was running around with them. His serious expression faded into a small smile, it quickly changed back into a serious expression with his eyes narrowed.

“Meis! Gueira!” His two generals looked at him from across the tent. “Where are they?” 

“Who?” They asked

“Aden, Lyosha, Iris, Serena, and Mila.” Meis and Guiera both gave each other a look before looking back at him, answering his question. Lio’s eyes widened and ran out of the tent. 

“They’re in the severe tent.”


	3. Chapter 3

Galo finally caught up to Lio, running into the severe tent. Their eyes widening in unison. A hundred injured Burnish lay on thick mats. Men and women crying, at least half haven’t woken up. . The tent was more hectic than the area outside. Medical professionals were running from patient to patient, changing bandages and cleaning wounds. 

“B...boss.” They heard a small meek voice over the commotion. Their eyes fell onto a girl who was at least five years old, laying in a row with other children, bandages wrapped around their arms, heads, and legs. She had platinum blond hair, green eyes and wore a bland hospital top. Her hand reaching out to him, with bandages up her arm. Lio immediately rushed to her side, ignoring the scrapes that were now on his knees from sliding on the concrete below as he knelt beside her, gently taking her hand in his. Galo’s mind flashed to the cave where Lio had gone to Thyma’s side. 

“Mila. I’m right here.” 

“I… I’m sorry.” she spoke softly before her eyes closed, a single tear running down her cheek. Lio’s body tensed, his eyes focused on her face. 

“Mila. Mila.” He called, placing a hand on the girl's cheek, whipping the tear away. When she didn’t respond, his body started to tremble, tears stinging his eyes. He felt like he couldn’t breathe, his chest tight. 

“She’s alright Lio. She’s resting.” Galo said softly, placing a careful hand on Lio’s shoulder. Lio looked up at Galo, magenta meeting blue. He gave him a warm smile. Lio turned back to Mila, his bangs covering his eyes, he clenched his fists. He stood up and walked out of the tent, Galo following behind. 

“Lio. Lio wait.” Galo said as Gueira and Meis came out of the tent next to them. They felt Lio’s anger as he walked passed, knowing where this was heading. They looked at each other, nodded and followed the pair. 

▷▷▷

Lio stopped walking when he got to the Parnassus, his fist clenched tightly and his shoulders trembling with rage. 

“Lio.” Galo said softly, placing a hand on Lio’s shoulder. 

“I swear… I swear I’m going to kill Kray Foresight.” His tone was cold and dark, nothing like it had been when talking to Mila. 

“I thought the Burnish didn’t kill people.” Galo said. Lio whips his head to look Galo straight in the eyes. Galo moved his hand away, instinctively taking a step back. Lio’s eyes burned with a raging fire like the Promare had never left, yet tears were collecting in the corners. 

“They don’t but I will.” Lio growled through gritted teeth. Galo’s eyes were full concern and a hint of pain as he looked at Lio. He knew he shouldn’t be mad at Galo, it wasn’t his fault this happened. He turned back to the ship and punched it in frustration. He felt like he couldn’t breathe as tears began to fall. He kept punching the side of the ship repeatedly, hoping the choking feeling would leave. When it didn’t, he started punching harder and harder. Gueira quickly moved behind Lio, grabbing his wrists and crossing them over the front of his body, pinning them to his side, picking him up and pulling him away from the ship.

“Stop! You’re going to hurt yourself.” 

“Let go! I don’t care!” 

“I do!” 

“Dammit Gueira let go!”

“I won’t!” 

“Gueira! Let go!” Lio screamed, kicking the other. Gueira kept his grip on him, holding him closer. “I’ll break your fucking legs off! Let me go. I swear to God! I’ll kill you too!” Meis walked over to them, grabbing Lio’s face gently. Galo stood there silently, not knowing how to react. Lio had always been so adamant about the Burnish not killing but since the Burnish are gone he wouldn’t think twice. They were all suffering because of the man he thought to be his hero. 

“Lio.” Meis said. Lio immediately froze, his eyes meeting Meis’. “We know it’s fucked up but it’s over. We’re going to be alright. Everyone will be alright.” Lio was breathing heavily, eyes blurry with tears. Lio tried to get out of their hold one more time before giving in. The trio slowly dropped to the ground, Lio being held in Gueira’s lap. Meis wrapped his arms around the pair. Lio shifted slightly in Gueira’s hold, getting his wrists free and wrapping his arms around him, clenching his shirt tightly, and resting his head against his chest, tears falling from his eyes. Galo only heard bits and pieces from their conversation. 

“I’m sorry.” Lio repeatedly apologized. Gueira put his hand on the back of Lio’s head, stroking his hair. 

“It’s okay. I know you didn’t mean it.” 

“But… I-” 

“Nonsense.” Meis said, his tone serious. After a while they stood up, facing each other like they did when they first met. 

“Are your legs okay?” Gueira chuckled at Lio’s question. Lio’s eyes narrowed, his expression serious. 

“I’m fine, you brat.” Lio made a face that caused all three of them to laugh. Galo stood in bewilderment. Lio had scrunched up his nose, sticking his tongue out at the other mockingly. A complete brat. Their relationship had been a confusing one to him. He was still a kid to them but they’d follow him to death without a second thought. Lio’s eyes shifted to Galo. Galo smiled when he noticed the other didn’t look as serious as he normally did. Lio gave him a small smile. 

▷▷▷

Gueira and Meis had gone back to the settlement, leaving Lio alone with Galo. Lio had walked to the top of the ship, sitting down at the edge watching the sunset over the horizon. They had a lot of work to do tomorrow. Cleaning the city, rebuilding, rehoming the remaining Burnish. There were a lot more than Lio had hoped there’d be without a place to go, but those who could offered to take others in until they could find a place to call home. He felt a weird sensation within him, remembering how each one of them had offered him a place also, but he knew he’d never be able to call it home. His eyes shifted downward, looking at the wreckage below. The wind that came from the ship crashing the first time had caused damage to surrounding buildings in a twenty mile radius. Scorched buildings from his rampage only added to the damage the city had to endure. 

Only ten thousand people. A selected group of ten thousand who had probably supported Kray since the day he ‘saved’ Galo. Ten thousand, plus every Freeze Force member, member of the Foresight Foundation, the scientists in the control center and all the Burnish in the world. That had been more than ten thousand. Sure, the Burnish were being used as fuel but those spots could have been filled with more people. The buildings they had fought at could have had more people. Lio clenched his fists, rage filling within him. The Burnish never had the option to not continuously be on the run. If they didn’t, they’d be hunted. If they did, it bought them time before being captured. 

Kray Foresight will pay. 

Lio’s expression had darkened, his heart beating in his chest. Hearing the low hum of an aircraft nearby, his body automatically got ready to fight at any moment as Aina’s aircraft stopped a few feet in front of him. He blinked several times as she opened the window covering her. 

“Hey Lio! Need a lift!?” Lio felt his body relax on its own, realizing Freeze Force wouldn’t be a threat anymore. The upper half of his body turned as his eyes followed the aircraft, watching it land in the center of the Parnassus, killing the engine and jumping out. “Just kidding. Mind if I sit with you?”

“Go ahead.” Lio answered. Aina sat down near him, remaining a respectable distance which Lio appreciated more than he thought he would. She had a backpack over her shoulder, taking it off and placing it next to her. They sat in silence, the evening wind starting to pick up. Aina noticed Lio shiver, doing well to hide it by keeping his eyes on something in the distance. She unzipped her backpack.

“Here, you must be cold.” Lio looked over at her to see a black shirt offered to him. Surprisingly, he hadn’t felt cold until the wind picked up. He hesitantly took the shirt, pulling it on over his head. thankful for the long sleeves and warmth it provided. Aina gave a relieved smile when it fit him perfectly, looking back at the sunset. A period of silence passed before Lio spoke. 

“Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it.” Aina awkwardly played with her red jacket. She felt like she had more confidence when she had initially gone up to him, knowing exactly what she wanted to say but now? Now she seemed to have lost it entirely, not remembering the words she wanted to use. Taking a deep breath, she went for it. “I’m sorry.” She blurted out, feeling stupid and regret the moment Lio’s eyes shifted to her. 

“For?” 

“For everything. For what Kray did to you. For what he did to the Burnish. For what my sister did.”

“Your sister?” 

“Yes. She was one of the scientists working on the project. I think she was leading it actually. Her team was tasked with studying warp engines. If… if I had known I would have.. I would of.” Aina felt a lump in her throat, tears welling in her eyes at the memory of all the ashes. Lio crying from losing those he cared about. Lio slowly realized who she was talking about, the woman with glasses she had blocked when he was running back towards the hole Lio De Galon made. He felt his body reacting the way it did when he was extremely angry. “I’m so sorry. She just wanted to protect me.” Lio saw a tear fall from Aina’s chin. Realizing it wasn’t her fault and he shouldn’t take his anger out on her. She had nothing to do with what Kray had done. He took several deep breaths, calming himself down.

“Your sister…” Lio started. Aina looked over at him, his fringe perfectly blocking his eyes from her. “She's older?” Aina wiped her tears away, sniffing. 

“Yeah. She’s always been smarter than me. I guess he noticed that and found a way to get her to stay on the project. She’d always come home upset when it partially worked. Saying that she was going to quit, what she was doing was wrong but never would go into detail about it. That bastard had always talked her into staying. What about you?”

“What about me?”

“Did you have any siblings?” Lio shook his head. 

“I’m an only child. Though, Detroit and Kakusei seemed like older brothers.”

“Detroit and Kakusei?”

“Two of the Promare that I sync with. Since I didn’t have friends where I lived and my parents were pretty busy, my Promare would take physical forms and play with me but once Freeze Force started hunting down the Burnish, I couldn’t play with them that often or I’d be found. My parents would have lost me a lot sooner…” Lio trailed off, visibly upset about whatever memory he was having. Aina clenched her fists. 

“That’s not fair!” Aina said, jumping up from her spot next to Lio. Lio blinked, looking up at the other confused. “Just because you were a Burnish doesn’t mean you couldn’t have friends right!? Thyma had friends and family. The pizza guy has friends and family. Every single one of them had friends and family before! Why did you have to suffer alone!?” Lio turned his attention back to the horizon. 

“Some people just deserve to be alone.” 

“That’s ridiculous! No one deserves to be alone. Why would you sa-.” Aina’s voice cut off when she felt her body become heavy, no longer feeling the metal beneath her. Lio turned his attention towards her, quickly moving to catch her arm as she retched out. Her body slammed against the side of the Parnassus. Looking up at Lio, who’s arm hung over the side, concern on his face as he held onto her tightly, Aina’s eyes widened when she realized what happened. She hadn’t noticed how close to the edge they actually were. Instinctively, she grabbed onto Lio’s arm, helping him as he lifted her back up onto the top of the ship, throwing himself back as he pulled her with him. They were a safe distance from the edge both of them catching their breath. Lio was on his back, his hand his holding onto Aina’s arm. Aina was on her stomach, her hand holding onto Lio’s arm. They slowly sat up, making eye contact before bursting out into fists of laughter. Aina’s slowly turning into relieved crying. She wrapped her arms around Lio, crying into his shoulder. Lio placed a hand on the back of her head, stroking her hair like Gueira had with him. The action seemed to calm anybody down. 

“Thank you.” Aina whispered. 

“Don’t mention it.” Aina moved back, looking Lio in the eyes. She noted that his eyes were magenta with purplish orange hue to them. His eyes burned like a fire similar to the Burnish flare they saw at the frozen lake. Lio brought a hand up to her cheek, whipping away the tears. Realizing what he did, he backed up slightly, immediately apologizing. Aina laughed softly. 

“It’s okay. Something tells me you’re used to doing that.” Lio sheepishly nodded, both of them standing up. 

“What was your name again?”

“Aina. Aina Ardebit.” She said holding a hand out to him. 

“Lio. Lio Fotia.” He said, taking her hand in his. Both shaking on a silent agreement. 

▷▷▷

Galo stood in the same spot as before, watching Gueira and Meis leave towards the settlement after Lio told them he wanted some time to think alone. He turned just as Lio had climbed the side of the ship, deciding it would be best if he didn’t follow. He was worried about the other but Lio could take care of himself. There’s nothing wrong with wanting some time to think. After all, the other had a near death experience hours before sunrise. There was a lot of work that needed to be done in less than fourteen hours. Galo still had a lot of processing on his own to do. The person who he believed had been his hero, had been the one to burn his house down. His parents were dead because of him. He used him for his own selfish gain. Put him into the most dangerous position, and was angry when he made it out alive. Nothing but an eyesore. Galo clenched his fists, feeling tears burning in his eyes quickly whipping them away when he heard an air ship. He quickly made his way up the side of the ship when he heard Aina’s voice, his fear quickly fading.

I wonder what she’s been up to all day. 

“Mind if I sit with you?” 

“Go ahead.” Lio answered. Aina sat down near him but remained a respectable distance. Galo decided to stay near the airship and watch the two instead of walking over. Aina had always been better at comforting people and speaking her mind. While he was loud and probably annoying. They sat in silence, the evening wind starting to pick up. Galo noticed Lio shiver, Aina seeming to notice as well, unzipping her backpack.

“Here, you must be cold.” Lio looked over at her to see a black shirt offered to him. He hesitantly took the shirt, pulling it on over his head. It was a long sleeved black shirt that they had kept at the station for when they had to do rescues during the winter. A three on the shoulders and back. Galo felt a strange sensation seeing Lio wearing something related to Burning Rescue, giving him a genius or idiotic idea depending on who he told. Once everything was over, it would be awesome to have Lio on their team. He was great with kids, caring about others and probably could find easy routes in and out of fires from being a Burnish. He’d have to bring the idea up to the other later, for now, Aina had things she wanted to talk with him about. A period of silence passed before Lio spoke up. 

“Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it.” Galo noticed Aina awkwardly playing with her red jacket, something she often did mindlessly when she lost confidence in something. He silently cheered her on, hoping she’d find her words. “I’m sorry.” She blurted out. Galo felt his body fall slightly, feeling as stupid as she did.

After all that? 

He felt surprised when Lio had answered her. 

“For?” 

“For everything. For what Kray did to you. For what he did to the Burnish. For what my sister did.”

“Your sister?” 

“Yes. She was one of the scientists working on the project. I believe she was leading it actually. Her team was tasked with studying warp engines. If… if I had known I would have.. I would of.” Galo saw Lio’s body tense the way it did when Mila had fallen asleep. He was angry. “I’m so sorry. She just wanted to protect me.” Fearing for the worse as Lio took deep breaths, Galo took a step forward but stopped when Lio spoke. His words threw him off.

“Your sister…” Lio started. Aina looked over at him, his fringe perfectly blocking his eyes from her. “She's older?” Aina wiped her tears away, sniffing. 

“Yeah. She’s always been smarter than me. I guess he noticed that and found a way to get her to stay on the project. She’d always come home upset when it partially worked. Saying that she was going to quit, what she was doing was wrong but never would go into detail about it. That bastard had always talked her into staying. What about you?”

“What about me?”

“Did you have any siblings?” Lio shook his head. 

“I’m an only child. Though, Detroit and Kakusei seemed like older brothers.”

“Detroit and Kakusei?”

“Two of the Promare that I sync with” 

Two? Just how many had he sync with? Detroit, Kakusei and who knows how many from the Earth's core, plus the millions of Burnish when they were in the core. 

“Since I didn’t have friends where I lived and my parents were pretty busy, my Promare would take physical forms and play with me but once Freeze Force started hunting down the Burnish, I couldn’t play with them that often or I’d be found. My parents would have lost me a lot sooner…” Lio trailed off, visibly upset about whatever memory he was having. Aina clenched her fists. 

“That’s not fair!” Aina said, jumping up from her spot next to Lio. Lio looked up at her. “Just because you were a Burnish doesn’t mean you couldn’t have friends right!? Thyma had friends and family. The pizza guy has friends and family. Every single one of them had friends and family before! Why did you have to suffer alone!?” Lio turned back to the horizon. The next sentence out of his mouth caused Galo’s heart to break. 

“Some people just deserve to be alone.” Aina seemed to have a similar reaction. 

“That’s ridiculous! No one deserves to be alone. Why would you sa-.” Aina’s voice cut off. Galo’s eyes widened as he watched what happened next, Aina was falling from the top of the ship, which was probably fifty feet tall maybe less, Galo was never good at estimating height, that’s Lucia’s specialty other than making awesome tech for them to use. Lio had quickly jumped into action, grabbing onto Aina’s reached out arm. He heard a slight thud against the metal. Lio was laying on his stomach, arm hanging off of the edge. Galo rushed forward fearing that the thud he heard was Lio’s body against the ship and not Aina’s, stopping when he saw the other getting up onto one of his knees. Galo let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding when he saw the pink chunk of hair that made up Aina’s ponytail. Lio had lifted her up, his left foot firm on the ground as he jumped back while pulling her with him. Lio had saved Aina, both a safe distance from the edge, both of them catching their breath. Lio was on his back, Aina next to him on her stomach, both not letting go of the others arm. They slowly sat up, looked at each other and burst out into fists of laughter. Aina’s slowly turning into relieved crying. She wrapped her arms around Lio, crying into his shoulder. Lio placed a hand on the back of her head, stroking her hair like Gueira had with him. The action seemed universally calming. After a minute Aina moved back, staring at the other. Lio brought a hand up to her cheek, whipping away the tears. Galo held back a chuckle as Lio backed up slightly, immediately apologizing. Aina laughed softly. 

“It’s okay. Something tells me you’re used to doing that.” Lio sheepishly nodded, both of them standing up. 

“What was your name again?”

“Aina. Aina Ardebit.” She said holding a hand out to him. 

“Lio. Lio Fotia.” He said, taking her hand in his. Both shaking on something Galo felt he missed. 

“Aina!” Galo yelled rushing over to them. They turned their attention towards him as he stopped near them. “Are you alright!?” 

“Galo! Yeah I’m alright.” Aina said, bringing her hand to her hip. “How long were you standing there?” Galo sheepishly, scratched at his cheek, 

“Before you asked to sit next to him.” He admitted. 

“Idiot you could have joined us. Right?” Aina asked looking at Lio. Lio nodded. 

“I thought you went back with Meis and Gueira.” 

“Nah, I was worried about ya so I stayed behind but you wanted some time alone and.” Galo trailed off when he saw Lio’s reaction. Lio opened his mouth to say something but shut it, biting his lower lip slightly. Galo immediately felt embarrassed, trying to come up with an explanation. “It’s not like I- Well- Um,” Aina looked between the two with a smile on her face, shaking her head. 

“You worked together to save the world. It’s only natural that you’d be worried.” 

“Yeah that!” Galo beamed. Lio let out a breath of air, rolling his eyes. His expression going serious, his brows creased slightly in thought. 

“I’m going to head back now. You can join if you want but you should probably go home and rest.” Lio said, heading towards the end of the ship.

“Did you want a ride back?” 

“No thank you.”

“Alright. We’ll see you tomorrow.” Lio nodded, raising a hand slightly as a goodbye. When he was out of ear shot Aina turned to Galo. “It’s amazing how he’s still standing.” 

“I told you he’s strong.” 

“I’m worried though. Whatever memory he had about his family before, it bothered him extremely. You should talk to him.” 

“What? Why me?” Galo asked, deep down he really wanted to know more about Lio. 

“I feel like he’d trust you more. He’s got a pretty thick wall separating him from others. It’ll take someone like you to break it down.” 

“You think so?”

“You dug through five meters of ice, getting closer to him should be a walk in the park for you.” Aina’s tone was mocking but encouraging at the same time. “You saved the world together. You had to have some sort of bond for him to use his flames to protect you right? From what you told me on the way back from the cave, all he’s known is to burn things. Use that burning firefighter's soul of yours to strengthen the bond.” Galo thought about it for a moment, remembering what he was told in the cave. She was right, the Promare always told Lio to burn hotter, burn stronger so he did. After a while of silence Aina gasped slightly. “Oh! That’s right. Ignis wanted me to have Lio give us a list of supplies they needed.” She took out a clipboard from her bag and handed it to Galo along with a pen. “I’m going to head home but I doubt you’re going to, so can you give this to him? Have him write the list and me or Ignis will get it tomorrow.” 

“Roger that.” Galo said, walking towards the settlement with a new found purpose. 

“Did you want me to give you a ride or did you want to walk?” Galo thought about it. 

“I’ll walk. I’ll be there in no time anyway. Stay safe and I’ll see ya tomorrow.” Aina nodded, climbing into her aircraft. 

“Take care idiot.” 

▷▷▷

Lio walked through the settlement, heading towards the severely injured tent. It felt strange to him how easily Aina and him had become friends. Feeling she had originally planned that for the moment she offered him a ride the first time. He had just finished helping Mad Burnish give the rations each section would need for the next day until Burning Rescue could give them more. The exhaustion of the past twenty hours slowly caught up with him when he walked into the tent. His eyes landed on Mila, Aden, Lyosha, Iris, and Serena who were all lying on a bigger mat in the corner at the other end of the tent together. One of the nurses walked over to him. She didn’t look that much older than Heris. Long black hair pulled into a ponytail, light crystal blue eyes focused on him, wearing a plain light blue shirt and pants. There was something familiar about her but he couldn’t figure it out. He really was exhausted. 

“They’re all stable, Meis had requested they’d be moved closer together, saying they’d be more comfortable when they woke up.” 

“Thank you for doing that, they’ll need each other when they wake. They’ve been through a lot.” The nurse nodded in agreement. 

“There’s enough room for you to lay with them. Please get some rest, boss. You can’t help everyone if you’re losing sleep.” Lio looked at her surprised. 

“You’re a Burnish?”

“You’ll probably recognize me more like this.” She stated, swiftly unbuttoning the shirt revealing a black tank top and took her hair out of her ponytail.

“Misha!?” Lio pulled her into a hug without hesitation. Misha laughed, returning his hugs. “Holy shit, are you alright?” He took a step back, scanning her over. 

“I am. Luckily I wasn’t injured, sorry I couldn’t meet up with you and the others earlier. A lot of people needed help.” 

”Don't worry about it. I’m just glad you weren’t injured. How many others are Burnish other than the injured?” 

“About five more of us. Kayla and Mori weren't injured either and since we were all nurses and doctors before we were able to jump right in with the volunteers from our old hospital. It’s amazing they still remembered us.” Misha said with a happy smile. Lio sighed with relief, all of Mad Burnish really did make it out alive. 

“I heard from Meis and Gueira that you told people they could go home. I live just outside the city in a small Burnish friendly community so let me know if anyone needs a place to stay and I can house a few of them.”

“Thank you. A lot of the children who lost their parents will need a place if you can take them in.” 

“Of course I will. Anyone off the top of your head need somewhere immediately?” Lio shook his head after a moment. 

“They’re all equally in need.”

“I understand.” Misha said, bringing a hand up to her chin in thought. “Don’t be mad but,” Lio’s eyes immediately flicked to her‘s. Anything that ever followed those words was never anything good. “Maybe, it’ll be better if they all stayed here until they have a place to call home. Since a lot of them will need to adjust to a new one, they should stick together. If I take some who have friends here I wouldn’t be able to take all of them.” Lio frowned at the thought of separating them from their friends, crossing his arms over his chest. He could never do something so horrible. 

“Good point.” 

“Now get some rest or at least take a break.” Lio wanted to argue with her but he knew it would be pointless. She had been trained in everything in order to be a nurse and was an extremely liked one even after Freeze Force ripped her away from the hospital. 

“Fine. Thank you, Misha.” 

“No problem.”

He walked over to the mat, sitting down at the end in a position he found comfortable. He rested his head on his hand, watched them sleep peacefully. He smiled, remembering the times where they’d been playing all day and passing out in a group on the floor. Lio laying with them but not asleep, keeping his guard up incase Freeze Force were to find them. His eyes flicked over to Mila when he heard her whimpering. He crawled over to her carefully, laying down next to her, wrapping his arm around her and held her close to his body. Mila slowly calmed down from whatever nightmare she was having, snuggling up to Lio’s chest with her head resting on Lio’s arm. Lio rested his head on his hand laying there with Mila in his arms. His thoughts going back to Misha. She really had been a good mother figure to them. Taking care of all the Burnish children as if they were her own. He clenched his fist remembering the conversation they had when he met her the first time. Lio lifted his head slightly when he felt a hand on his. Aden had woken up, his blond hair sticking out of the bandage wrapped around his head, one of his brown eyes covered by the bandage. Lio unclenched his fist, letting Aden hold onto his hand. Aden rested his forehead against Mila’s back, his eye closing as he drifted to sleep. A few minutes later. Iris, Serena and Lyosha had moved closer to Lio. Serena with her back against his, Lyosha being held by her. Iris sleeping next to Aden. Lio struggled to keep his eyes open, feeling safe for the first time since his whole adventure began. He heard the quiet shuffling of the nurses and doctors quietly walking around checking each patient. He felt a blanket being placed over them, his eyes shifting to meet Misha’s. She gave him a warm smile before walking away. His eyes shifted down to Mila, watching her peacefully sleeping against him. Giving in, he allowed himself to fall asleep. 

▷▷▷

Galo walked towards the settlement, the conversation he had with Aina repeating in his head. Would we really be able to get Lio to open up to him? He knew they had some sort of connection but would it be strong enough to ask him about his past? He didn’t think so. Something happened that bothered him too much to share. He suddenly got an idea. Gueira and Meis had been with him for years they’d probably know. He quickened his pace with new determination. He walked past the tent Pops and Priam had been in, stopping just outside the pole that held up the tent. He walked backwards to the front of the tent, announcing his presence as he walked in. Priam had been sitting up, eating a sandwich alone. 

“Hey, where’d Pops go?” He asked him, sitting down near the bed. 

“He went back to the pizzeria to see if it’s still standing.” Priam answered after swallowing the part in his mouth. 

“How long have you been alone?” 

“Probably a few hours. I was sleeping until Lio came in with food.”

“He woke you up!?” Priam shook his head. 

“He was actually just leaving when I woke up. He seems pretty good at sneaking around.” Galo laughed softly, remembering how Lio had knocked him out in the cave. 

“Skills like that come in handy when on the run.” Priam nodded.

“He’s been running for a long time. Hopefully he’ll be able to relax now that we’re not being hunted.”

“Thirty years.” Galo muttered absentmindedly.

“Thirty years of what?”

“Huh? Oh. Ignis said he’s been on the run for thirty years.” Priam raised an eyebrow. 

“He’s not thirty.” 

“What!? How old is he then?”

“I don’t know but he’s not close to thirty. Maybe twenty one or twenty two.” 

“No way.” Galo said, leaning back slightly. He knew Lio looked young but didn’t think he would actually be around the same age. Lio was a leader of a race of people who looked up to him, followed him, and trusted him. The way he carried himself made him seem a lot older. Never backing down when anyone had threatened him or the Burnish. “Speaking of Lio, what did you say to him earlier?” 

“I told him if the pizzeria had burned down it wasn’t his fault and he shouldn’t blame himself for it. Pops and I can always rebuild.” 

That’s why he wanted to leave and distract himself before going into the severe tent. Galo thought with a smile. Priam had known Lio as well as Galo did, which wasn’t a whole lot but, they were able to notice little changes in Lio that told others what he refused to say. They continued to have a conversation about Priam’s history with becoming and being a Burnish, about when he decided to make pizza, how long he’s known Pops. Priam asked Galo about his history at Burning Rescue and what it was like to be part of the team. Galo was in the middle of telling Priam one of his biggest adventures, which was when he saved Thyma from the burning building.

“Come to think of it. I don’t think Lio was with them then.” Galo said, placing a hand on his chin and frowning. There was now a possibility that Meis and Gueira didn’t know about Lio’s family. They looked over at the entrance of the tent when they heard the cloth covering being moved. Revealing a worried Meis and frustrated Gueira who scanned the area. 

“Hey guys, what’s up?” Galo greeted.

“Looking for the boss. We haven’t seen him since handing out rations.” Meis answered, slight disappointment in his voice when he wasn’t in here. 

“Dammit. He knows damn well he has to eat, why does he always do this shit.” Gueira asked, angrily scratching his head with both hands. 

“He left here about thirty minutes ago. Did you check the severe tent?” Priam asked. Meis and Gueira looked like they had just mentally punched themselves in the face. 

“Thanks” they both said, leaving the tent. 

“Why didn’t we check there first!?” Gueira yelled. 

“Cuz you wanted to check all the tents!” 

“Whatever, come on.” 

“Don’t you whatever me ya dumbass.” Meis’ voice faded away as the two walked farther from the tent. Priam and Galo looked at each other before laughing. 

“They’re like an old married couple.” Galo laughed out. 

“I think they are.” Priam said, his laughter dying down. Galo looked at him in shock. 

“No way. Imma go ask them so you can get some more rest.” He said as he stood up. Priam nodded, laying down. 

“Night Galo.”

“Goodnight!” Galo left the tent, half running to catch up with Meis and Gueira who weren’t that far ahead. The two of them were still arguing as he got closer. “Hey guys wait up,” Meis and Gueira turned to look at him, eyebrows raised. “Shouldn’t you be a little quieter since people are trying to sleep and all?” Meis and Gueira looked at each other, making Galo feel a little uneasy. The two of them were still unpredictable and ready to attack anyone who threatened Lio. 

“Yeah, you’re probably right. Sorry Meis.” Gueira said, looking down slightly. 

“It’s alright.” Meis waved it off. Gueira perked back up, both of them walking towards the tent. Galo stood there for a minute, wondering what had just happened. Shaking his head, he followed them into the tent. A nurse with long black hair walked over to them. Her eyes were light crystal blue, sparkling in the low light of the lanterns. 

“Hey Misha. How’s everyone doing?” Meis asked, giving her his full attention. 

“They’re all stable for now but there’s been a few flare ups here and there. How are you guys?” 

“We’re fine, just looking for the boss.” Misha smiled warmly, pointing over to the mat near the other end of the tent. 

”He’s resting with them, stay quiet because you know he needs his sleep.” The trio nodded, thanking her. They walked closer, seeing Lio laying with five children, his eyes closed. The girl from earlier, Mila resting on his right arm, with her ear against his chest and her hand holding onto the sleeve of the borrowed Burning Rescue shirt. A boy held onto the hand of the arm that was draped over Mila. A girl with fiery scarlet red hair behind him. Behind Lio was another girl holding a smaller boy. All of them sleeping peacefully. Meis and Gueira had their hand over their heart, looking at them. 

“Adorable.” 

“Boss is so fucking cute.” Gueira whispered. Galo held back a laugh. They were Lio’s personal fan club when he wasn’t paying attention but couldn’t help feeling the same. Meis was right, seeing Lio sleeping with a group of children was insanely adorable. The Burning Rescue shirt increasing the fact. His heart pounded in his chest, his stomach filling with butterflies. Lio’s eyes snapped open. The trio immediately straightened up, their hands pinned to their sides and feet together as if they’d been commanded by a general to attention. Lio turned his head to look at them, his expression deadly before softening when he realized who was standing there. 

“Gueira, Meis, Galo, what are you doing?” 

“Did you eat?” Gueira answered with a question. 

“Did everyone else eat?” Gueira brought his hands up to his hair again, ruffling it in frustration. 

“You are the most unbelievable, stubborn, piece of work we’ve ever had the pleasure of dealing with.” 

“You’re welcome.” Lio responded, sticking his tongue out at him with a wink. Meis chuckled, his expression becoming serious. 

“Boss you know you have to eat and don’t give me that look.” 

“What look?”

“The look you give when you’re going to argue or disagree with me.” Lio rolled his eyes. 

“I told you I’d eat once everyone else finished.” 

“Boss.” Lio’s eyes flicked over to Gueira. “You need to eat.”

“Are you going to feed me?” Gueira opened his mouth to say something but snapped it shut. There was no easy way he’d be able to feed Lio with the other possibly choking. “Didn’t think so.” 

“Fine.” Gueira sighed in defeat. “We’re going to do another round around the settlement then go to sleep.” 

“Okay. Goodnight Gueira. Goodnight Meis.”

“Night boss,” the two said, taking their leave. Galo stayed behind, taking off his boots before walking to the area on the mat where Lio didn’t have to strain his neck to look at him. He carefully sat down on the mat near a girl with fiery scarlet hair with bandages wrapped around her hands and a boy with blond hair that stuck out of the bandages around his forehead. He crossed his legs and placed the forgotten clipboard in his lap. 

“Oh. Aina wanted me to give this to you to write the items you needed down. I can leave it here if you want.” Lio’s eyes shifted to look at Galo. His magenta eyes burned like a controlled fire. He found himself mesmerized by them. No one he met had eyes like that. There was a strange warmth and familiarity to them that he couldn’t place his finger on. Maybe it was from when Lio’s flame had protected him against Kray or from him sitting next to a fireplace on a cold winter evening with a cup of hot chocolate. He snapped out of his staring when he heard Lio’s voice, quiet but loud enough to get his attention. 

“Can you write them down for me?” 

“Sure,” Galo replied happily, writing down the list Lio started to give him.

Extra blankets

Layered clothing

Bandages

Metal councilors 

Water 

Food

“Actually cross the last two off.”

“Why?” Galo asked. 

“I don’t know…” Lio lay there silently, his eyes focused on nothing particular. “I’m used to me, Meis, Gueira or someone else getting the things we need.” Lio refused to look at him, his bangs hiding his eyes. Galo felt a small pull in his chest, wanting to move closer to him and hug him like he did before. It would be hard for them to rejoin society when they’ve had to go through years of people fearing them and them fearing others in return. Instead, he stayed where he sat. 

“I’ll keep it on the list under maybe. That way if you guys do need help getting food and water we can provide it. There’s always tons of water bottles at the station for emergencies.” He hoped this would ease Lio’s thoughts. Lio’s response was a quiet ‘hmm’ followed by ‘okay’. They heard shifting next to them, looking over at the scarlet haired girl. They watched her adjust her position to get more comfortable. Galo saw Lio’s hand brush a few strands of her hair out of her face, tucking it behind her ear. “What’s her name?” Galo asked. 

“Iris. He’s Aden.” Lio said, combing his hand through the boy's blond hair. “Serena is against my back and Lyosha is who she’s holding.” 

“Where are their parents?” Galo asked hesitantly.

“They’re gone.” 

“Oh…” Feeling his heart drop, Galo’s eyes scanned the children’s faces. They all had bandages around some part of their body. They looked peaceful sleeping with him. How many of them lost their parents? Why did Kray need to experiment on innocent children? Hell on innocent humans!? He clenched the clipboard tightly, eyes burning with a familiar sting. He closed his eyes tightly, hoping the burning would stop. Feeling a hand on top of his, he opened his eyes, looking up to see Lio’s eyes full of sorrow and concern. Lio’s voice was almost too quiet for Galo to hear against the pounding in his chest. 

“Yours didn’t make it did they.” It was a statement, not a question. Galo nodded slowly, mindlessly flipping his hand over to hold Lio’s. Feeling relieved when Lio didn’t yank his hand away but gave him a gentle squeeze instead. It felt comforting that Lio was there to help him. 

“What about your parents?” Galo asked, his voice above a whisper. When Lio’s grip loosened, he felt like the other was going to pull away. To his surprise, Lio didn’t, keeping his hold on him. There was a long silence between them. He risked a look at the other. Lio’s eyes were wide with fear, threatening to glaze over, his past trying to pull him in. The natural fire of his eyes frozen as if they’d been shot with a freezing gun. Galo saw long blond lashes fan over them before the ice slowly melted, the fear nonexistent, fire burning with control. 

“I’ll tell you someday… just not right now.” Galo nodded, giving Lio’s hand a firm squeeze. Aina had been right. Whatever had happened to Lio’s parents caused him to almost shut down. His eyes locked onto Lio’s, becoming mesmerized again. He didn’t know how long he had been staring but the sudden “what” snapped him out of it. 

“S-Sorry. Your eyes are just… they’re so interesting. I’ve never seen anyone with eyes like yours.” 

“Seriously?” 

“Not a single person. I don’t remember everyone by name but I always remember faces.” Galo said proudly. Lio’s mouth twitched into a smile. 

“I supposed that would be easier than remembering everything about a person.” 

“That girl, Aurora. How old is she?”

“Eight,”

“Only eight? She couldn’t walk until now?” He hadn’t realized he asked out loud until Lio answered him. 

“She could before but the experiments they did on her and a few others made it so they lost their ability to walk.” Galo saw the rage beginning to raise inside of him. The fire in his eyes burned fiercely. Galo’s eyes flinched over to the black hair nurse that went up to them before, watching her pull the covers over an elderly woman gently. Her soft voice letting her know she’d be there if she needed anything. 

“That nurse with the black hair and light crystal blue eyes, what’s her name?” 

“Misha.” Galo repeated, laying down on his stomach. Crossing his arms to make a cushion for his head to rest on, letting go of Lio’s hand in the process. Lio’s hand moved back under his head. “What’s she like?”

“Why do you want to know?” 

“She seems motherly. Caring, strict but kind.” Galo shrugged. 

“There’s your answer.” Lio’s expression changed into a reminiscent happy, changing to serious just as fast. “She was the mother of one of the children that had been obtained by Freeze Force and experimented on... She didn’t make it.” 

“Are you talking about me boss?” They heard Misha’s voice from the front of the mat. Galo jumped a bit, his heart pounding out of his chest. Lio's eyes shifted over to look at her. Misha laughed quietly. “Sorry to startle you. I heard my name and overheard the conversation.”

“It’s alright. I should have asked you personally instead.” Galo said, his heartbeat slowing to its natural pace. Misha shook her head. 

“It’s no big deal. I doubt the boss was telling you anything bad.” She said, walking to the other side of the mat and placing down two water bottles. ”Keep yourselves hydrated okay, I’ll be over there if you need me.” She pointed towards the middle of the tent where they had a small nurses station set up, a few tables with papers, pens, and boxes of supplies given to them by Burning Rescue and the hospital. 

“Why don’t you go home?” Lio asked, his eyes meeting hers. 

“I’ll go home when my job is finished.”

“Mi-“

“Don’t be a hypocrite.” Misha interrupted him. “If you’re still going to be working then so are we.” 

“I was just going to say thank you.” Lio puffed his cheek out, pouting. 

“Mhmm sure you were, hun.” Misha said, giving him a kiss on the forehead. She turned to Galo, placing her hand on his head and ruffled his hair. “Goodnight lovebugs.” 

“Goodnight Misha.” 

“N-night” Galo stuttered out a response as Misha walked away from them. His heart ached. It’s been years since anyone has done that to him. The last person to ever ruffle his hair and tell him goodnight was his mother right before she went to bed. He got to his feet, giving a quick explanation to Lio on why he had to leave and made a panic beeline out of the tent without giving the other the chance to respond. 

Galo ran into the station, closing the door shut behind him and slid down to where his knees were at his chest. He knew he probably shouldn’t have reacted that way but he couldn’t help it. He would never forget about his parents no matter how hard he distracted himself. He choked back a sob, trying to catch his breath from the mile run he just pulled. He shakily stood up and walked towards the showers. He turned the water on full blast after removing his clothes, letting the freezing water rain down onto him. His eyes stayed focused on the wall in front of him. Memories of his mother filling his head. His bottom lip trembled as he held back tears. Remember Misha’s warm motherly smile caused him to break, dropping to his knees and crying. 


	4. A Dream?

_Lio woke up being met with complete darkness. He brought his hand up to his eyes, not feeling a cloth covering them. His eyes slowly adjusted to his surroundings. It was cold yet warm at the same time. He blinked, finding himself sitting outside. The smell of ashes, dead humans and burning metal filled the air. Hos mother's lifeless corpse on the ground in front of him, teal flames protecting her body. Tears streamed down his face. Lio screamed, a strong cold surrounding him. Moments later he felt a sharp pain in his arm. His eyes snapping open to see four people wearing surgical masks around him, blinding white light surrounding them. Make them pay! He heard himself scream. Burnish flares immediately shooting out from him, encasing the scientists and melting the cold. Alarms blaring as he ran, burnish flames blocking people's paths. Ice guns being fired only for the ice to melt before hitting him. He continued to run, his body growing to his current size with each step. Now in the Freeze Forces detention facility with captured Burnish following him. Meis and Gueira following behind. They made it out and were happily at the settlement. Lio looked to his right feeling something near him. A thin woman with brown skin, pink-ish brown hair, dressed in a white lab coat, black tights, and white boots turned to look at him. Her green eyes full of tears before her clothing changed to bandages, her arm reached out to him._

_“Thyma! Thyma!” He called, reaching out to her, his body moving towards her but never seeming to get close enough. Her body slowly turning to ashes, a small smile on her face. “Thyma! No!” A lava like hand wrapped around his body lifting him off the ground. Lio struggled to get free._

_“Don’t even try! My Burnish power is far greater than yours will ever be!” Kray’s voice said from behind him, pulling him away. A small ice cube hit the flames, their eyes shifting to Galo._

_“Let him go now Kray!”_

_No! Galo run! Lio’s voice was silent. The other standing with the freeze gun in his hand pointed at Kray. Lio heard Kray snap, his burnish flames headed straight towards Galo. Lio used what felt like the last of his energy to use his flames to protect Galo. Galo’s charred body fell to the ground, lifelessly. “Galo!” Lio screamed. From the core he could see multiple pods stop shining red, one, two, twenty, sixty. The number kept growing. He saw Meis’, Gueira’s, Misha’s, Mad Burnish’s, Aden’s, Lyosha’s, Iris’, Serena’s, and Mila’s pods go out. .Lio screamed with a mix of pain and rage._

Lio gasped for air, eyes snapping open to reveal strands of platinum blond near his face. His eyes shifted down to Mila laying beside him. He brought his arm up to his eyes, covering them as he took slow deep breaths. 

It was only a dream. 

He held out his hand in front of him, looking at the back. The black long sleeve of the shirt Aina had given him stopping at his wrist. 

It wasn’t completely a dream. 

He carefully slid back and off of the mat. His knees were near Mila’s face when she made a soft sound before rolling over onto her side facing Aden. Silently, he let out his breath, relieved that his movement hadn’t woken any of them up. He stood up, catching a glimpse of a light brown object with something white resting on top from the corner of his eye. Looking over at it, he saw the clipboard Galo had with him laying next to Iris. With a quiet sigh, he picked it up and looked over the list again. 

Needed items: 

Extra blankets

Layered clothing

Bandages

Mental counselor

Maybe:

Water

Food

Lio walked quietly towards the entrance of the tent. His eyes falling on Misha, who sat asleep at the spot she told him and Galo she’d be. Her hair up in a ponytail, arms being used as a pillow with her face pointed towards the mat he had just left, a small smile on her face. He picked up the blanket that sat neatly folded on the table, carefully placing it around her shoulders. He stepped out of the tent, immediately greeted by the gentle cold morning air. The sky leisurely becoming brighter. He silently made his way from tent to tent, taking a mental note of who was where. Gently pulling the covering from the last tent, he saw Meis and Gueira sitting in chairs. He took a few steps in and looked at their faces, letting out a breathless sigh of relief seeing they were still breathing. He left the tent, taking a deep breath, the cool air filling his lungs, reminding himself it was over. The Promare are gone. Along with the Burnish. It felt strange. The flames that had been a part of him left an empty feeling he’s not sure he’s felt before. He wandered aimlessly, only stopping when he reached the edge of the Parnassus. Standing in the same spot he stood next to Galo the day before. Everything flashed in his mind. The dream. His past. His nightmares. The Burnish, Meis and Gueira. Heris and Aina. Pops and Priam. Galo. The Promare. Kakusei and Detroit. His hand clenched tightly, feeling the wood of the clipboard. He looked at the horizon, watching the faded white clouds move across. 

“Lio,” Meis’ voice came from behind him. His eyes shifted to the side, turning towards the older male as he walked over. His dark purple-blue hair neatly flowing behind him in the wind. Lio on the other hand still had some bed head from laying on the mat. 

“Morning.” Lio responded. 

“Morning.” Meis combed his finger through Lio’s hair, fixing it out of habit. He continued to stare at Meis, his eyes scanning the other. Noticing something he hadn’t the day before. Meis right upper arm was wrapped in a bandage. His mind wandered back to the dream he had. His parents, Thyma, Galo, the Burnish. All the ashes. “Another bad dream.” The statement pulled Lio out of his thoughts, realizing the other had finished arranging his hair a while ago with his hand resting against his cheek and staring at his eyes. Meis had told him long ago that the eyes were a window into the soul so it didn’t matter how hard he tried to hide it from him, he’d always know. Shifting his eyes, he nodded slowly.

“Well I’m here if you wanna talk about it.” Lio smiled softly. Meis had always been there for Lio from the first day he became Mad Burnish’s leader, actually both Meis and Gueira were there for him. Meis and Gueira taught him how to make armor. Meis taught him a few fighting techniques that helped increase his speed against the freezing cubes from Freeze Force. If he had a nightmare he’d always find Meis at his side, comforting him. Gueira watching and learning from the pro of nightmare comforts. Gueira wasn’t always good at comforting someone with nightmares, him struggling with his own from time to time, stumbling over the right thing to say to cheer up others.

“Thank you.” 

“No problem.” Lio turned his attention back to the sky, watching the clouds as it got brighter out. About a minute later, Gueira sleepily joined them wrapping his arms around Meis’ shoulders from behind leaning against him. 

“G’morning.” He mumbled into his neck. 

“Mornin’ sleepy head.” Both sharing a quick kiss before Gueira moved over to Lio, repeating his morning greeting. 

“Morning Gueira.” Lio said, patting his head. Gueira perked up, completely awake. 

“It’s gunna be a long day, ain’t it boss.” He said, standing in his usual spot next to Lio. 

“We’ve had longer. We’ll all get through this together, like always. We’ll rejoin society, build new communities where everyone can live without fear. It’ll be hard but we’ll do it.” Meis and Gueira nodded, confident smiles on their faces.

“Couldn’t agree with ya more.” Lio felt a strange clam standing there with them, feeling Meis’ and Gueira’s confidence easing some of his doubts. Rejoining society as regular humans wasn’t going to be a walk in the park. From Priam’s story and Lio’s own personal experiences, Promepolis wasn’t as burnish friendly as other places. The Foresight Foundation and Mad Burnish’s actions only increased the anti-burnish movements, even when the former governor claimed maintaining peace was the number one goal. He was lost in thought when he felt the clipboard leave his hand. Blinking, he turned to Meis who was looking over the paper. Gueira looking over his shoulder. “Pretty good start for what we’ll need.” 

“We’ll have to add burn gel to the list.” Gueira added. Lio face palmed. How could he not remember that? Something so simple yet completely foreign to him. He had a pretty good understanding of what it did based on the name but personally never had to use it.

“Anything else we should add?” Lio asked, looking at the duo. They thought for a moment, Meis handing the clipboard back to him. 

“They’ll probably be more once we go around again but you’ve got the immediate items covered.” Gueira gave him a reassuring smile. Lio nodded, holding the clipboard at his side. 

“Let’s head back, Burning Rescue will be there soon.”

▷▷▷

Meis opened his eyes hearing extremely quiet but rushed footsteps outside the tent. He sat in a chair next to the entrance of the tent with Gueira to his right, both guarding the entrance. He closed his left eye knowing exactly who had been wandering around.

Lio’s awake. 

A head of unmistakable blond hair peeking in followed by Lio’s full body. Lio’s right hand was clenched onto the fabric of the shirt over his heart, his posture slightly shrunken. Meis watched through the strands of his hair as the other looked at Gueira before his eyes moved to him. He could see the panic and worry written on his face. Meis realized immediately what was going on. Lio had another nightmare and it hadn’t been an easier one. He saw a contemplating look flash on the younger males face as he opened his mouth but instead of talking he let out a silence sigh. His posture and expression going back to its natural form before quietly leaving the tent. He listened as Lio’s footsteps faded. 

“Gueira. I’m gonna follow the boss you comin’?” 

“Right behind ya.” 

They stayed a few feet away from Lio, quietly following him, watching him climb the Parnassus and stop walking just before the edge. 

“I’ll wait here. I’m no good with calmin the nightmares.” Gueira whispered. 

“You’ve gotten better but this one is probably different. Join us in a bit kay?”

“Kay.” With that Meis climbed the rest of the way up and walked towards Lio. The closer he got the more he noticed how close to the edge the other had been, the tips of his shoes perfectly parallel. He called him by name to get his attention. Lio’s eyes shifted to the side, turning towards him as he got closer. Meis would be lying if he didn’t admit he was relieved when Lio had backed away from the edge when he turned to face him.

“Morning.” Lio responded. 

“Morning.” Meis combed his finger through Lio’s hair, fixing it out of habit. He noticed the others' eyes scanning him over, his brows lowering and drawing together. A mixture of rage and sorrow stirred in his eye. Meis finished arranging Lio’s hair and placed his hand on his cheek, moving in close enough to where their noses were barely touching. “Another bad dream.” The statement pulled Lio out of his thoughts, his eyes snapping to look at Meis’ directly before shifting. He nodded slowly. He couldn’t help but feel the sudden satisfaction that filled him when Lio didn’t try to deny having the nightmare. He took a step back. “Well I’m here if you wanna talk about it.” He saw the small smile that formed on Lio’s face.

“Thank you.” 

“No problem.” Meis said, following Lio’s movement as he turned his attention back to the sky, watching the clouds as it got brighter out. About a minute later, Gueira sleepily joined them wrapping his arms around Meis’ shoulders from behind leaning against him. 

“G’morning.” He mumbled into his neck. 

“Mornin’ sleepy head.” Both sharing a quick kiss before Gueira moved over to Lio, repeating his morning greeting. 

“Morning Gueira.” Lio said, patting his head. Gueira perked up, completely awake. 

“It’s gunna be a long day, ain’t it boss.” He said, standing in his usual spot next to Lio. 

“We’ve had longer. We’ll all get through this together, like always. We’ll rejoin society, build new communities where everyone can live without fear. It’ll be hard but we’ll do it.” Meis and Gueira nodded, confident smiles on their faces.

“Couldn’t agree with ya more.” Gueira said. They stood quietly for a minute. Meis noticed Lio was getting lost in thought again and saw the clipboard at his side. He cocked his head slightly before gently taking it out of Lio’s hands reading what was written on the paper. He felt Gueira leaning over his shoulder, his eyes scanning over the page. 

“Pretty good start for what we’ll need.” 

“We’ll have to add burn gel to the list.” Gueira added. Lio face palmed. 

“Anything else we should add?” Lio asked, looking at the duo. They thought for a moment, Meis handed the clipboard back to him. His mind drawing a blank. 

“They’ll probably be more once we go around again but you’ve got the immediate items covered.” Gueira gave him a reassuring smile. Lio nodded, holding the clipboard at his side. 

“Let’s head back, Burning Rescue will be there soon.”

▷▷▷

_Galo lay in bed, eyes focused on the faint light green glow of the stars scattered around his ceiling. The events of the day playing back in his head. He didn’t have school that day so he got to stay home and play with his favorite fire truck and mech figure, running around in the backyard with his Matoi. Pretending to save his other toy figures from imaginary fires or helping them get out of the tree. He rolled over onto his side, looking at the picture of his family. His mother, with her light blue hair pulled into a ponytail stood on the right and his father, his hair color and style matching his own on the left. All three with huge smiles on their faces. He yawned sleepily, eyes shifting to the door as his mother walked in._

_“How’s my second fire fighting hero doing?”_

_“I’m amazing!” Galo beamed, his smile turning into a small pout “wait, mama who’s your first fire fighting hero?” His mother sat down on the bed next to him, a warm smile on her face._

_“Well, your grandfather of course.” Galo’s pout faded into his contagious wide smile, eyes shining with admiration._

_“Oh! I’m okay with that.” His mother laughed softly, placing a hand on his head and ruffling his hair._

_“Alright, Goodnight love bug. I’ll see you in the morning.”_

_“G’night. I love you.”_

_“I love you too.” Galo closed his eyes, nessling up to the blanket. A clam sigh leaving him as he drifted to sleep. Galo woke up minutes later to his name being called. He was in front of his childhood home, magenta and teal flames burning wildly. His eyes landed on his parents, widening in horror. Their bodies had been severely burned. His mother’s arms were charred with patches of exposed bone. The right side of her face had been burned down to her skeleton. Her left with charred, white skin with areas of her chin bone exposed. His father was mainly skeleton, chunks of charred muscles barely hanging on to their original areas. He screamed, tears falling from his face. He felt a strong arm under him, eyes meeting the closed ones of a college student._

_Kray Foresight._

_The area around him changed. He stood near Kray and Lio, eyes focused on the ground. Hurt and disgust filling him. This man had been his hero, but to him all Galo had been was an eyesore and a cancer._

_“Galo!” He heard Lio yell, magenta flames bursting in front of him. His arms automatically went up to block his face. He stared at the flames in shock, feeling a protective warmth wrap around him as his body flew back and off the control center. Lio’s flame protected him. He now lay in the severely injured tent, head resting on his arms and eyes closed as he listened to him talk about Misha. He opened his eyes, looking at Lio. Particles of ash drifted in front of him, his eyes grew in shock. Lio’s body was turning grey. His mind replaying what Lio had told him in the cave after Thyma had turned to ashes._

_“Goodbye, Galo Thymos.”_

_“Lio! Lio wait!” Galo reached out to him, only catching the triangle earring that was left behind._

Galo’s body shot up to the sound of his alarm going off. Frantically, searching for his phone. He let out a relieved sigh after he taped the STOP bubble on the screen, realizing it had only a horrible dream. He got up from the bed, stretching out his body and completing his morning routine. Eating breakfast, drinking coffee, taking a quick shower before throwing on the bottom half of his Burning Rescue uniform and jacket. By the time he finished, he had twenty minutes before the others would get there. He sat down on the bench near the truck, trying to be patient. 

Just twenty minutes. I can wait that long. 

However, patience wasn’t one of his strengths. He slowly looked around the garage, counting how many cabinets, chairs, wheels and other items in the area to keep himself from running out the door and starting without them. He looked at the clock only five minutes passed. With a groan, the back of his head hit the truck and started bouncing his right leg. Luckily, Aina and Lucia were the first two to show up. Followed by Remi and Varys five minutes later. 

“Good morning!” Galo beam, jumping up from the bench.

“Morning Galo.” Aina replied with a small smile, a cup of coffee in her hand. 

“How the hell do you have so much energy this early?” Lucia whined as Vinny ran up to the group, climbing onto Lucia’s shoulder. 

“Come on it’s a brand new day! There’s a bunch of stuff we gotta get done.” 

“Yeah yeah but you can tone it down a notch, people are still tryin’ to wake up.” Galo pouted, sitting down on the bench, his arms crossed over his chest.

“Come now Lucia, you know he’s always ready to jump into action.” Lucia rolled her eyes, never one to be a morning person but once they got to work she’d be wide awake. 

“Where’s the chief?” Galo asked 

“He said he’d meet us at the settlement with the volunteers and we should get everything ready to go.” They jumped into action, getting the needed supplies for the survivors along with shovels, pickaxes and other tools that would make the job easier. 

“Galo! Did you get the list from Lio like I asked you too?” Aina called to him from across the garage. Galo froze, his mind going back to the night before, realizing he had left the clipboard in the tent. 

“Oh crap I left it at the medical tent!” He said, ruffling his hair in frustration. 

“Don’t worry about it. It was a better idea to leave it there anyway since the nurses can write down what they need.” Aina gave him a reassuring smile. 

“We’ll be coming and going all day anyway to clear the rubble. Making a few trips back here isn’t going to be the end of the world.” Remi chimed in. “We have what we need so far, let’s head down there.”

“Right!” 

“Burning Rescue! Dispatch!”

  
  


Galo felt the truck stop at their destination, excitedly jumping out of the back and ready to go. He looked towards the settlement seeing a small group waiting outside. He turned his attention back to the truck when Remi handed him a crate and a few blankets. Telling him and Aina to go ahead. As they got closer to the group, his eyes landed on Lio. Lio stood with Meis, Gueira and Mad Burnish, along with a few dozen other Burnish volunteers. He still wore the borrowed shirt, his expression unreadable. His mouth was moving in response to anyone who talked to him. He noticed the group of non-Mad Burnish volunteers had concerned and uneasy looks but when Lio spoke to them, their expressions changed to trust. Lio’s eyes shifted to them as two members of Mad Burnish walked up to them. 

“Need some help?” One asked Aina, his arms already sliding under the crate and taking it from her. 

“Oh, thank you.” Aina said, the other doing the same to Galo before he could protest. 

“No, thank you. Without your help we wouldn’t have gotten supplies right away.”

“You’re welcome.” They both smiled. The two members smiled back, turned and walked into the settlement. Lio walked over to them, handing Aina the clipboard. 

“Here’s the list you wanted.” Aina took the clipboard and scanned it over. An eyebrow raised, noticing Galo’s handwriting for most of it. Galo looked over Aina’s shoulder, seeing burn gel added in elegant handwriting under mental counselors. 

“Why are food and water under maybe?”

“Galo wouldn’t cross them out.”

“Why would you cross them out? We have tons of water and we’d be happy to make meals for everyone.” 

“I’m used to me, Gueira, Meis or someone else going to get what we need. We’ve never had a problem with it before.”

“Did you steal food and water?” The question left Galo before he could think. Aina gave him a look but Lio’s expression stayed neutral. 

“No, the Burnish didn’t steal anything. We’d always pay for what we got. It only got complicated to get everything we needed after people started recognizing us.” 

“Lio I-“ Galo tried to apologize but was cut off when Ignis showed up with the other volunteers. Everyone turned their attention towards him as he spoke. The plan was to continue clearing the area around the ship, looking for and helping anyone who could have been trapped under the rubble. Aina would be using her aircraft to get those trapped underneath to the hospital again. Varys and Remi would use their mechs to lift the heavier chunks while people were helped out. 

“I’ve separated the volunteers into shifts. Those who are here right now will be leaving later this afternoon. Let’s get moving.” 

Around noon, Galo heard Ignis’ voice over the ear piece. 

“It’s time for lunch, let people in your areas know.” Galo relaid the message to everyone around him, most wiping the sweat from their foreheads and walking towards the truck followed by chatter about how hungry they noticed they were. He saw other Burnish walking back towards the settlement, looking towards the direction they came from to see Lio still working. He saw the earpiece that Aina had given him earlier, knowing the other had heard the message and told them. Galo walked over to him. 

“Hey, aren’t you going to eat too?” 

“I’m alright.” Lio answered without looking up from what he was doing. 

“Fine at least take a br-“ Galo cut himself off when Lio stabbed the shovel into the group, turning away and walking towards him. He turned towards the smaller male when he walked past him, stopping a few steps away and looking over his shoulder.

“Did you want to come to? Meis, Gueira and I are going to be handing out rations.” Galo felt a smile on his face. He nodded, taking two big steps and easily catching up with him. 

When finished handing out the rations, Lio looked down to see Aurora pulling on his shirt and pointing over to the other children sitting in a small circle, eating their sandwiches. 

“Hey, mr boss sir, are you going to join us?” A boy with brown hair and green eyes asked. The other kids agreed with him, wanting Lio to join them. 

“Of course, I’ll be right there.” Lio said, walking with Aurora over to them. He sat down where Aurora had been sitting, letting the child sit in his lap while she ate happily. Galo watched him interact with all the children, telling them stories while they ate. The children laughed and giggled, a few laughing so hard they fell over. He chuckled quietly, waving to Aurora when she looked at him over Lio’s shoulder. Aurora waved back, whispering something to Lio. Lio turned his head towards Galo. The boy from before got up and ran over to him, grabbing his hand and pulling him. 

“Come on Mr. Firefighter you don’t have to stand there, come sit with us. Sit with us!” 

“Sit with us!” Aurora repeated. 

“Yeah sit with us. Sit with us.” The rest of the children joined in. Galo laughed. 

“Okay okay.” He said, following the child. He sat down next to him across from Lio. 

“Do you like being a firefighter?” A girl sitting to the left of Lio asked, her huge brown eyes looking at him in wonder. 

“Of course I do! It’s awesome!” The children all asked him questions, some were easy like what’s your favorite part of the job? Is it dangerous? Do you get scared? How long have you been a firefighter? Do you like your team? Do you have any burns?

“Why is this arm different from your other arm?” A boy sitting next to Galo asked. 

“Eli,” the boy looked over at Lio, tilting his head. “You can’t just ask something like that bluntly. You have to make sure it’s okay to ask about it first.” Lio scolded lightly. 

“Oh oops sorry mr firefighter.” Eli apologized, worry in his eyes. 

“It’s alright don’t worry about it.” Galo beamed, ruffling Eli’s hair. “I got a pretty bad burn the first day I joined Burning Rescue. I have to wear this over it so it doesn’t get worse.” 

“What caused it?” Galo choked on his sandwich, trying to come up with an answer in his head. Eli offered him some water. As he drank some of it, Ignis’ voice came over the ear piece telling them the break was almost over.

“I’ll have to tell you another time, the chief wants us to head back.” Galo said after swallowing the water. The children whined in disappointment. “Hey, I promise I’ll tell you when my shift is over.” 

“Really?” They asked. Galo made a fist and put it over his heart

“I swear on my burning soul!”


End file.
